Allanaki Art

[Oryx]

The form and function of art in Allanak has been discussed staffside for some time now and we've been meaning to bring that over, but it hasn't happened until now. Here is the new helpfile:

http://www.armageddon.org/help/view/Allanaki%20Art

This was written by Renenutet, as she has been driving these discussions thought the years. To celebrate, I'd like to post some of the art sourced by her and Rathustra that inspired our staffers and builders working in Allanak during the last several years.

















Please feel free to post your own thoughts and the pieces that inspire you here.

[Hauwke]

All of that is creepy looking. I love it.

[Blanc de Ocotillo]

It should be surrealist and dark..that has always been my view. In tuluk they hid all the ugly with a false veneer..in the south they embrace the violence. Its a brutal bloody culture the art should reflect it.
https://www.deviantart.com/22zddr/art/The-Last-Rites-90442395

[ShaLeah]

It should be surrealist and dark..that has always been my view. In tuluk they hid all the ugly with a false veneer..in the south they embrace the violence. Its a brutal bloody culture the art should reflect it.
https://www.deviantart.com/22zddr/art/The-Last-Rites-90442395

I never got surrealistic. Dark, brutal, yes, not surreal.

[MatisseOrOtherwise]

Yeah I've not seen much of the surreal, this is kinda a surprise. Like yeah there's that one brutish demon face somewhere but I thought that was just meant to be scary and angry and a warning, not reality subverting
Hmm

Might have to pay a closer look at things

[valeria]

I really appreciate the guidance on this!  Great job all!

Francisco Goya's black paintings and Stephen Gammell's darker paintings (not his happy children's book stuff) have always been my go-to when I think of Allanaki art.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Paintings
https://www.pinterest.com/roxannebuchanan/art-stephen-gammell/

I also try to think of the oft-overlooked music helpfile when thinking about how similar art would look.

[Bast]

I love this and as an artist I 100% agree with the style. Bare in mind the Arboretum is literally right around the corner from a massive pile of rotting corpses. Can you imagine what that would look like? And I would say the corpse pile is really the closest thing to a art installation the city has. This ever shifting, ever changing pile of death is literally a direct reflection of the city soul. I think surrealism is the perfect style in a world where death is everywhere. For you non artists, surrealism is recreation of the subconscious mind with photo realistic accuracy. The perfection of the level of skill a Highborn would demand mingled with the nightmarish things that wander the known in a city where the major for of entertainment is watching monster tear people to pieces.

[Gentleboy]

Hi all,

I'm a traditionally trained artist and current art history/criticism/ major. Looking at these paintings and sculpture feel good for the tone of the world. However, and I ask this a lot, where does printmaking come into play? Not printmaking for writing but for art. You're talking about Goya who used drypoint and intaglio techniques to create a slew of his work. As did William Blake. We have an oil press in game, so a small scale relief press seems plausible.

And then what of woodblock? Lithography? Printmaking is an essential part of art history that is overlooked and I think it really has a place here in this world of Zalanthas!

[Jihelu]

My comments as someone who made art in game for a bit with advanced drawing:

What the fuck.

[valeria]

Not printmaking for writing but for art. You're talking about Goya who used drypoint and intaglio techniques to create a slew of his work. As did William Blake. We have an oil press in game, so a small scale relief press seems plausible.

And then what of woodblock? Lithography? Printmaking is an essential part of art history that is overlooked and I think it really has a place here in this world of Zalanthas!

Goya totally did a lot of intaglio earlier in his life, and portraiture as well. I meant more specifically his black paintings, which were I think oil on plaster, done heavily in earth tones and with pretty disturbing reflections on life and insanity.

I'm not sure how woodblock would fit into the south, because wood is so rare, except as a function of the nobility. I've always seen commoners as more likely to do scrimshaw on ivory or bone. And there is an abundance of clay, so I could imagine a lot of relief artwork in that medium too, either etched or just incorporated into the clay.

This is just one person's opinion, though! I love thinking about stuff like this.

[Knight of Knives]

I always see that monstrous demon face near the Bazaar and want more

[Dar]

I'm still in awe of that guy who drew satirical pamphlets about a certain templar

[Gentleboy]

I dunno how to use forums but this is to Valeria


Yuh. I'm just a printmaking nerd.

And art for nobles is a funny idea cause back in the day, rich people would have dinner, then afterwards pull open a curtain and stare at a painting with their party guests. Like the painting "Garden of Heavenly Delight"

[racurtne]

I'm still in awe of that guy who drew satirical pamphlets about a certain templar

This was an awesome plot I nearly forgot about. It was excellent work and while not very surreal, it definitely beautifully depicted some debauchery and brutality.

[Bast]

Hi all,

I'm a traditionally trained artist and current art history/criticism/ major. Looking at these paintings and sculpture feel good for the tone of the world. However, and I ask this a lot, where does printmaking come into play? Not printmaking for writing but for art. You're talking about Goya who used drypoint and intaglio techniques to create a slew of his work. As did William Blake. We have an oil press in game, so a small scale relief press seems plausible.

And then what of woodblock? Lithography? Printmaking is an essential part of art history that is overlooked and I think it really has a place here in this world of Zalanthas!

I think what is being talked about is style, not technique. I wouldn't think most players would be aware of what is available in the modern artists toolblet. Pretty sure one of those examples was done one digital format;). Obviously no one in arm is picking up PS's full design suite. The imagery I assume is to convey the style of surrealist art that would be predominant in the city's culture. A lot of in game art tends to be very Italian Ren. Or very Ancient Greek inspired.

[Bast]

I’d love to see more of this reflected  in in game portraits and statues

[Mr. Fancypants]

I think there should be room for less blatantly morbid art so that we don't have to retcon everything that's been done in the past. Portraiture and statues, primarily, or informal personal art and practice sketches, those don't need to be all gothed out.

That said, I like the new helpfile and it fits with the theme I've always envisioned for formal, traditional Allanaki art.

Here's an artist I stumbled across to take some inspiration from:
https://www.deviantart.com/bengoodspeed/gallery

[valeria]

I don't think the "official" kind of art will ever be the kind of art a society makes.  I've thought of this more as the kind of art that would be commissioned and displayed, like all of those commissioned works on religious themes done by DaVinci.  While he also did portraiture like the Mona Lisa, those weren't displayed until after his lifetime.

Anyway, the old public artwork doesn't have to be retconned.  It could just be that art has moved in a different direction over the ages.  That happens all the time irl, and how many years have those falling apart statues been in Allanak?

Staff can totally correct me if I'm wrong, though.

[LauraMars]

I like this! But I'm also a little sad about this, if it's the reason that lizard statue north of the Red's Retreat is gone.